Acting against or counteracting the formation of pus; working to prevent or reduce suppuration in infected wounds.
From anti- (against) + pyic (from Greek pyon, pus). Medical terminology draws on Greek roots to describe substances that fight bacterial infection and the pus that results.
Before antibiotics, antipyic treatments like honey, tea tree oil, and certain herbs were the only defense against infected wounds—and some actually worked because they contained natural compounds that fought bacteria.
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